The Church, Our Spiritual Home - Catholic Apostolate Center

39 Pages·2012·2.79 MB·English

THE CHURCH, OUR SPIRITUAL HOME
The Church,
Our
Spiritual
Home
A Pastoral Letter
on the Church
To the Clergy,
Religious and
Laity of the
Archdiocese
of Washington
from
His Eminence
Donald Cardinal Wuerl
Archbishop
of Washington
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“The Church, Our Spiritual Home”
THE CHURCH, OUR SPIRITUAL HOME
Grace
and peace
to you
in Christ.
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THE CHURCH, OUR SPIRITUAL HOME
Introduction
JESUS INVITES US INTO GOD’S
FAMILY. Jesus is the “only Son of
God” (Jn 3:18). We receive our
status by adoption. “As proof that you
are children, God sent the spirit of his
Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba
Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but
a child, and if a child then also an heir,
through God” (Gal 4:6-7).
“Why do you call us brothers and
sisters?” a youngster asked me after
Mass. “You’re not my brother.” “Ah, but
I am spiritually. Because we are all
members of God’s family,” I responded.
After he received a nod of affirmation
from his mother and father who stood
behind him, he said, “Wow, I didn’t
know that.” Then he added, “That’s
cool,” offering his youthful declaration
of approval.
Each of us, in fact, is a member of God’s
I was stunned. I had not been a priest for
family, God’s people. Clearly we belong
as long as he had been away. I stumbled
“Each of us is a
to our own natural family and then
a bit as I tried to respond: “I beg your
member of
because of baptism we belong to God’s
pardon. I don’t think I’ve ever…”
family. Together we are real spiritual God’s family,
brothers and sisters. God’s people.”
“Oh no,” he said, “I don’t mean you
personally. I just mean the Church.”
Like any family, the Church also faces
challenges. In the last decades some
In his book, Jesus of Nazareth,
have chosen to leave home. Some may
Pope Benedict XVI told the story of a
say they are “spiritual” but not
skeptical scholar of the nineteenth
“religious” and therefore not affiliated
century, a wayward priest who had lost
with the Church. Others may never have
his faith. The man complained that
really known what the family is all about.
Jesus had promised the world a kingdom,
And still others may have had a bad
but all he left us was the Church.
experience.
The family of God is called his Church.
Once, back in the early 1980s, I was
Its members, those baptized into the
preparing for confessions at a parish and
Church, you and I, form a body with
I was approached by a man who told me
Christ as its head. In order to truly know
he had left the Church 25 years earlier.
Christ, one must know him in his Body,
I tried to make reentry a little easier for the Church.
him by striking up a conversation. “What
kept you away?” I asked. Saint Paul takes this for granted when he
calls us, as he did the first disciples, “to
“You,” he replied. live in a manner worthy of the call you
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have received…striving to local and nationally circulated
preserve the unity of the newspapers.
spirit through the bond of
peace: one body and one The answer to the question, “Why
Spirit…one Lord, one faith, should I be a member of the Catholic
one baptism…” (Eph 4:1-5). Church?” follows on the response to the
question “What is the Catholic Church?”
My purposein writing you
this letteris to reflect on The short answer to these questions
what we mean by the is that the Catholic Church is the
Church, the Body of Christ. continuing presence of Jesus Christ in
the world – in our day and time. The
The Second Vatican Council, Church is the Body of Christ. This
which was convoked 50 revealed teaching is not metaphorical
language. Nor is it just a figurative way
years ago by Blessed John
of speaking about the Church. Sacred
XXIII, chose in a particular
Scripture holds up the Body of Christ
way to speak of the Church
for our creedal profession in a very real,
as the “people of God”
literal sense. We will examine the
(Lumen Gentium9-17). The
identity of Christ with his Church as we
Church is not an abstraction
move through these reflections.
or a mere human institution.
The new Body of Christ is
Again, the simplest answer to the
made up of all the members
question, “What is the Catholic
of the family of faith who are Church?” is that the Church is the
blessed with the gifts of the presence of Christ in the world today.
Spirit and are united as one The Church is variously described in the
body around the Apostles pages of Sacred Scripture as the Body
“The new body of and their successors, with Christ as its of Christ and as the beginning of the
head. kingdom of God on earth.
Christ is made up of
all the members of
The Profession of Faith What is the Church?
the family of faith
– A Comparison
who are blessed with
Did you ever wonder why when we
the gifts of the Spirit make the profession of our faith at Mass As we continue this reflection, it might
and are united as one we include with our belief in God the be helpful to note first what the Church
is not. Much of what we read or hear
body around the Father, Jesus Christ his Son and the Holy
from people who are upset with the
apostles and their Spirit our belief also in the one, holy,
Catholic Church or some of its teachings
catholic and apostolic Church? How is it
successors, with or some of its members comes out of a
that we place the Church alongside the
Christ as its head.” profound misunderstanding of what the
persons of the Most Holy Trinity in a
Church is.
declaration of faith? The answer to that
question explains why we hold our
The Catholic Church is not a
membership in the Church so sacred.
man-made organization.It is not the
result of people coming together and
What is the Church and why should I be deciding to form a church. While there
a member? These questions go back is a human dimension to the Catholic
2,000 years and are regularly repeated Church, its origins are found in the will
throughout history. More recently, they of Christ. The Church, her structures
have become prominent topics of and charter come from Jesus. “You are
discussion on radio and television talk Peter and upon this rock I will build my
shows, blogs and in the pages of both church” (Mt 16:18).
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BODY OF CHRIST:
The Church is called the
(mystical) Body of Christ
because of the
intimate communion
which Jesus shares with
his disciples; the metaphor
of a body, whose head is
Christ and whose
members are the faithful,
provides an image which
Saint Peter’s profession of faith stands at who is Pope Benedict XVI, our answer
keeps in focus both the
the center of the same declaration that begins with, “He is Joseph Ratzinger,”
unity and diversity of the
each Christian must at some time make but goes far beyond to recognize and
Church (787, 790, 1396).
– consciously, freely and lovingly. “You declare, “He is the 264th Successor to
are the Messiah, the Son of the living Saint Peter” – the rock on whom Jesus
God” (Mt 16:16). founded his Church. – Glossary of the
Catechism of the
To ensure that each subsequent
The Church is not a club made up Catholic Church
generation would have the opportunity
of like-minded people who are
to hear of his kingdom, to know his
attempting to carry out some specific
Gospel and to receive his invitation to
goal or purpose. Such clubs and
follow him, Jesus established his Church
organizations can be very helpful and
on the foundation rock – Saint Peter.
provide opportunities, for example, for
Catholics recognize in Saint Peter, who
personal enrichment, entertainment,
today bears the name Benedict XVI, the
education or social service. Membership
touchstone that keeps us in contact with
in such organizations is a free decision of
the truth of the revelation entrusted to
its participants with no consequences
the Apostles. We, like the Apostles, are
other than agreeing to follow the club’s
to look to Saint Peter today for
rules and trying to achieve its goals. It is
confirmation. “Simon, Simon, behold
a human creation. But the Church is very
Satan has demanded to sift all of you like
wheat, but I have prayed that your own different. Christ who said, “I am the way
faith may not fail; and once you have and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6)
turned back, you must strengthen your established the Church to invite all
brothers” (Lk 22:31-32). people into it to accept his vision, way
and truth.
Our appreciation of the task of the
successor of Saint Peter causes us to Jesus did not establish one among many
have such respect for him. When asked other organizations, all of which have
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equal value and an equal claim on our claim to be more. Certainly they are not
allegiance. His Church is the “Way” that the voice of Divine Revelation. The
Jesus founded to help us attain eternal Church has an identity, purpose and
life. His death and Resurrection is the teaching that transcends and defies
action by which our redemption is won. reduction to any specific political
His Church would be the means by philosophy or party. Thus when the
which we can share in the salvation Church speaks about God’s law, the
Jesus gained for us on the cross. Just as natural moral order, right and wrong, it
he is the one mediator between God and does so not from a political platform or
man (cf. 1 Tm 1:5), so his Church is his following a political convention. Rather
way of ensuring the continuation of that it presents the received teaching of Jesus
mediating work. It is to his disciples that that comes to us from the Apostles. As
Jesus gives the command before Saint Peter replied to Jesus, “You have
returning to his Father, “Go, therefore, the words of eternal life” (Jn 6:68).
and make disciples of all nations…
teaching them to observe all that I have Some acts of public policy more fully
commanded you” (Mt 28:19-20). reflect Gospel values than others and
Catholics may choose to self identify
The Church is not a political party. as members of one political party or
Many Americans belong to political another. But one’s decision to be a
CATHOLIC CHURCH: member of the Church and to accept her
parties – a variety of them, judging by
teachings cannot be based on one’s
The Church established the increasing number of designations
political orientation. For those for whom
by Christ on the on local ballots. Political parties and
partisan political allegiance can trump
foundation of the action groups have a laudable purpose –
adherence to Catholic faith and moral
to press for a social structure, a political
Apostles, possessing doctrine, the Church’s teaching will
agenda that their members feel is one
the fullness of the means necessarily be a problem.
way to establish a good and just society.
of salvation which
Political entities by their nature reflect
The Church is not to be confused with
he has willed:
human preferences and opinion. The
the political community and it is not
correct and complete wide array of opinions – even if held and
bound to any political system. The
confession of faith, presented quite dogmatically – only political community and the Church are
full sacramental life, shows the diversity of human response autonomous and independent of each
and ordained to issues of public concern. None can other in their own fields. We must also
ministry in apostolic
succession (830).
– Glossary of the
Catechism of the
Catholic Church
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remember that the individual believer, a The Church is not
member of the Church, is at the same an expression or
time a citizen of the political community. manifestation of
There is not a firm separation of current popular
religious conviction from political or cultural
preference precisely because the faithful conditioning. As
believer is a citizen. significant as are
political correctness,
Pope Benedict XVI, in his encyclical God peer pressure and
is Love, taught us that the lay faithful, cultural influence, the
precisely because they are citizens of the Catholic Church does
state, “are called to take part in public not draw its
life in a personal capacity.” He went on
inspiration from
to point out, citing Blessed John Paul II
these, but rather from
and his apostolic exhortation On the the Word of God as it
Laity, that the lay faithful “cannot has been faithfully
relinquish their participation ‘in the passed on over 20
many different economic, social, centuries within the
legislative, administrative and cultural Church. “Heaven and
areas, which are intended to promote earth will pass away,
organically and institutionally the but my words will not
common good’ (Christifideles Laici, 42)” pass away” (Mt
(29). We should expect our most firmly 24:35).
held religious beliefs to impact on our
political life. In an August 28, 1879 letter The Catholic Church
to James Madison, Thomas Jefferson does not see itself and
wrote, “I know but one code of morality its teaching as one
for all, whether acting singly or among many options
collectively.” in deciding what is
morally right and
what is morally
wrong or how to
fashion a response
that reflects the
revelation and
teaching of Jesus Christ.
Yet we regularly hear
“the Church needs to
come into the 21st century,” as one
“The Church is
parishioner let me know at a church
the presence
reception not too long ago. Not that this
of Christ in the
was the first time I had heard the
world today.”
admonition. Given all the media
attention to some specific issues
in recent months, I expected that the
Church’s teachings that contradict
today’s popular culture might be the
focus of her indignation. But it was not.
Her annoyance grew out of the
instruction her pastor had given
to her daughter, who was planning
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“Catholics recognize her wedding. It turned out that the While we recognize that many seek to
young woman and her fiancé were form our society, our culture and our
in Saint Peter, who
already living together and had been for way of life drawing upon a breadth of
today bears the
backgrounds and inspirations, the
some time — a situation not all that
name Benedict XVI,
Catholic Church remains convinced that
uncommon. The pastor pointed out that
the touchstone that what it brings to society is in fact what
this was not right — certainly not moral.
keeps us in contact Jesus called, “the way and the truth and
This piece of straightforward and honest
with the truth of the the life” (Jn 14:6). It is for this reason
advice was the occasion of the demand
that the Church is protective of her right
revelation entrusted
that “the Church come into the 21st
to speak in the public forum. What she
to the Apostles.” century.”
has to say may not always be popular but
it needs to be said – in faithfulness to her
“All over the country, people are living mission to go and teach all people
together before they get married. What (cf. Mt 28).
can be wrong with that? They love each
other.” This, in short, was the gist of the The Church is not a special interest
position of the mother who was so upset group. While there are many such
identifiable organizations which cluster
— upset with the Church for suggesting
around a special interest for which they
that living together should come after
speak, the Catholic Church, over her
the wedding, not before. If we look
2,000-year history, speaks for Jesus
around, we see many examples of where,
Christ, his teaching, his Gospel – the
in the minds of some, the Church should
faith.
“get with it.” Regularly the media cites
people claiming to be Catholic who
Sometimes we will hear from some
support, for example, abortion, sexual entity with its own claim of being
license or some other “hot button” issue. “Catholics for (something)” – usually
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some cause contrary to Church teaching.
This really becomes simply a way of
challenging Catholic teaching. We need
to remember that anyone can claim to
be a Catholic, but only the bishops as
successors to the Apostles speak for the
faith. The line from Saint Paul comes
easily to mind when we hear from a
group claiming to speak for the Catholic
faith while presenting its own opinions.
Saint Paul tells us to beware “even if we
or an angel from heaven should preach
[to you] a gospel other than the one that
we preached to you…” (Gal 1:8).
Once we have clearly distinguished what
the Church is not, we can turn our attention
to the reality that is the Church.
The Church –
The Enduring, Visible Presence
of Christ in the World
The Catholic Church is the enduring,
visible yet spiritual, structured yet
Spirit-led, human yet divine presence of
Christ in the world today. The new Body
of Christ teaches in his name, sanctifies
with his grace and leads with his
authority. One makes a free will choice As followers of Christ we are called to “The Catholic Church
to be a member of this Church and this holiness. We are challenged not only to
remains convinced
choice should change our lives. Such a participate in the life of the Church, but
that what it brings
decision is itself a gift of God’s grace. actually to manifest the coming of God’s
to society is what
kingdom in our world, and so grow in
Being a member of the Church Jesus called,
spiritual stature.
incorporates us into something beyond ‘the way, the truth
us – greater than ourselves. The mystery
The Focus of This Letter and the life’
of the Church is something into which
(John 14:6).”
we enter recognizing that the Church is
In this letter, I intend to concentrate on
a unique spiritual reality, the home of
God’s Word and sacraments, and that we the unique role of the Church, the family
do not have the authority or power to of laity and clergy alike, as the
change the nature of the Church, her continuation of the teaching ministry of
Gospel, her teaching, her sacraments, Jesus. All of us need to be confident in
her mission. The Church today the truth of what the Church teaches if
preexists any one of us who claims to we are going successfully to move
be a member – a believer. While we
forward to face some of the challenges
recognize that the Church has need for
and opportunities ahead of us.
constant renewal, a renewal that begins
with each of us, we also acknowledge
New Evangelization
that we do not come to the Church to
change its teaching. It is the Gospel of
Christ and the teaching of his Church Already we are aware of the call to the
that should change us. New Evangelization unfolding
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